Community Air Quality Metadata
< Back to the Air Quality Work Group
Air Quality Data Network Solta 2011
Community AQ Metadata Records
Community AQ metadata records were developed in order to find data through the GEOSS Clearinghouse. They were built by first determining the minimum set of fields needed for GEOSS registry. Then the community decided to use the ISO 19115 metadata for geospatial information standard. The ISO 19115 standard required that the Community AQ profile include the core set of fields for ISO. Then the AQ record was extended in order to add additional fields that are needed by AQ users in order to find the data through faceted search interface, AQ uFIND.
The AQ profile continues to be extended by looking at current AQ data providers metadata. Through this process of harvesting available metadata we are coming to consensus as a group on what should be included moving forward in order to be found and accessed through the community catalog.
It should also be noted that the 'dataset' refers to the specific dataset.parameter combination.
Community air quality catalog records include the information to find and access the dataset through data access services.
DataFed Metadata
The DataFed metadata for each dataset includes some facets such as domain, platform, method, distributor... that help the user to find data more easily. These attributes have been encoded as keywords with special prefixes for the attribute they are associated with.
DataFed also has web services for each dataset.parameter combination. So far we have used a serviceIdentification object to encode the data access service, but need to create convention.
NARSTO Metadata
NARSTO metadata was created by PIs for EPA Super Sites and then archived at NASA Langley as FGDC and GCMD Dif metadata files. There are crosswalks for both DIF and FGDC to ISO 19115.
Metadata Issues
- Need convention for metadata distributor (catalog) contact/DataSpace link
- Define thesauri/controlled tagging - How do others cite GCMD vocab in ISO 19115
- (Convention) How to link dataset with data access service - Include serviceIdentification object or use distribution or both?
- distinguish between metadata and data distributor
